Should you be allowed to recline seat if big person behind?

However, I have another query about economy etiquette. I booked an aisle seat, on purpose, for a recent flight London to Edinburgh. It was the row right at the back. I boarded and sat down, and a very tall man appeared (must have been over 6ft5) who had the window seat. As this was the back seat, there was no window. He asked if he could sit on the aisle seat as he was tall. I said no, I had paid for an aisle seat (I am not as tall as him, but I am not short - 5ft11 - and did not want to sit on the inside with no window). He moaned and then made a big scene of squeezing himself in to the seat, apologising to the women in the middle who his legs were touching (he eventually found a way not to be touching) and generally made a big deal about being uncomfortable for the (relatively short) flight.

Am I the dick? In my mind, if you are very tall you should specifically book extra leg room. It is an option for a reason ... (I suspect he booked onto the flight late hence why on the last row, but not my problem).

Not a dick

I had a similar situation on a flight home from Scotland.

I was in my pre-booked aisle seat and whilst others were boarding, two children came up to me as owners of the middle and window seats next to me. I, naturally, stood up to move.

Then, their mother said to me"Do you mind swapping with me, I'm not sat with my kids"

"Where are you sat?"

"Here" pointing at the middle seat of the row in front.

"Sorry, I'm tall. I don't do middle seats"

I then felt the horrible twinge of conscience. I was furious that she hadn't had the foresight (or, more likely, was too tight) to reserve a seat with her children but here we were with the emotional blackmail of her kid sitting next to me asking her Mum whilst they weren't sitting together.

So, long story short, I begrudgingly moved. It was only a 50 minute flight. If it had been longer, tough luck.

Anyway, on to etiquette.

Reclining is fine on long-haul - people need to sleep. However, the seat should always be raised for meals and there should be a bit of consideration for fellow traveller. Difficult situation as nobody has any room in economy.

No offence to anyone but if I’ve paid for my seat then I do recline it

Quite right too, it is your choice and you absolutely do not owe the person behind you an explanation nor need to seek their permission. Anyone who feels entitled enough to believe that they are put out by being unable to restrict the person in front from using a feature that they have paid for is deluded and selfish.

We all come in different shapes and sizes and a downside of being tall or fat will be vividly apparent in an economy airline seat.

I'm fortunate, I'm short and slim, only 1.70m and 65kg so economy seats never cause me any issues. However, at concerts, cinemas etc, I can find myself sitting behind a far larger individual. Do you think that individual gives a monkey's that they are partially blocking my view? Similarly, I couldn't care less if they are slightly inconvenienced should I recline my airline seat.

As it happens, I don't on short-haul and most newer planes don't have the feature and I am perfectly fine with that. On long-haul, different story, there I will use it - usually after the meal - and the person behind can suck it up or pay for extra space. Yep, harsh, but I'm not the one who told them to eat as much as they did and as far as height is concerned, there are pro's and con's for being tall and short, airline seats are a tall person's negative - they'll enjoy positives elsewhere, no doubt.

If you paid for a particular seat then they also had the chance to pay for a seat with more leg room. Its their own fault if they are too tight to pay for the extra space when they clearly needed it.

Not true in every case, far from it. I always try and book the legroom seats, I'm happy to pay for the convenience. Unfortunately these seats aren't always available to book because they've been booked up by someone else or you simply don't get a legroom option when booking.

This. It used to be the case that airlines wouldn't sell these seats for extra and invariably I'd be offered one when I turned up leaning over the check in desk. Quite why little people buy them is beyond me really but I guess it's the way of the world.

As for reclining seats - I don't really care, good luck to anyone in front of me trying to recline it through my knees, but I wish the airlines would just do the obvious and fix the bloody things in place.

No offence to anyone but if I’ve paid for my seat then I do recline it

Me to.I don't care if big fat Gemma is behind me or not.

On an economy flight years ago to Florida I reclined my seat and I could hear the not very slender lady behind me complaining to her travelling companion, this then led to her hitting the button to summon a member of the cabin crew, "i'm not comfortable because the man in front has reclined his seat,get him to put it upright!" for her only to be told by the cabin crew...." sorry madam,the gentleman has paid for his seat which reclines and is entitled to do so."

I’m 6’3” and the wrong side of “fluffy” (In fact Hagrid might call me Fluffy) I find reclining my own seat to offer no real improvement to my own comfort so don’t recline. If the person in front does then it’s not going to make my miserable existence any more miserable. I once had a lady in front try and recline her seat and get very irate with me when it wouldn’t. Neither I, or the air hostess could explain to her that she had chosen to sit in extra legroom and so it didn’t move as she didn’t speak English.

Recently, booking flights for 4 we have booked 2 then 2. This way if the seat goes back in front of me it’s due to my wife. It’s just easier than 3 in one row and me across the aisle. Tried that once and hated it.

No amount of internet bickering is going to stop people being inconsiderate tossers, especially those in the cheap seats.

I think the airlines should just remove the feature in economy. Want recliners? Pay for business class.

Can't fit into Economy because you are a fatty? Pay for Business Class!

If the airlines remove recliners, it won't be to placate fatso's and tall folk who refuse to pay extra to accommodate themselves properly so as not to inconvenience paying customers from using a feature they are allowed to use but because they want to reduce the room further to squeeze more seats in. Either way, those uncomfortable now, need to pay more and get the space they clearly need or shut up and accept that it is their choice and the only inconsiderate tossers are themselves.

Never recline in economy. It's just not cricket. As someone who sadly spends far too much time in BA short-haul economy seats I have observed this is generally only done by self-centred 'entitled' types.

Edit - just looked at the article - how come such a big* celebrity was in the back with the plebs anyway?

* Yes, pun intended

Edited by LimaDelta on Tuesday 20th August 09:57

I travel economy on occasion. I never recline. There is much less space than there used to be and it is just inconsiderate.

And when people use them on short haul flights it really ruins and already crap travelling experience. Fortunately, I can usually get to sleep even before takeoff (not reclined) and then I can keep the inconsiderate sod infront awake with my snoring.

I’m 6ft, and fly on a lot of planes. Of course there isn’t much room, and I’m not an apologist for airlines, but I don’t recall my knees being ‘scrunched up’ into the seat in front, or seeing many other tall folk scrunched up.

I don’t normally recline it but if I do I am considerate with meal times, etc.

The notion that you pay for it you must use it is wrong. I also have the food included, sometimes I eat it sometimes I don’t. On an hotel stay I don’t need to try all the breakfast options just because they are included! I also paid for the emergency exit or toilets it does not mean that I will use them regardless.

I’m 6ft, and fly on a lot of planes. Of course there isn’t much room, and I’m not an apologist for airlines, but I don’t recall my knees being ‘scrunched up’ into the seat in front, or seeing many other tall folk scrunched up.

I’m 6ft, and fly on a lot of planes. Of course there isn’t much room, and I’m not an apologist for airlines, but I don’t recall my knees being ‘scrunched up’ into the seat in front, or seeing many other tall folk scrunched up.

You must be a stumpy legged 6ft, because I'm a 5ft11.75 and get this issue all the time! Long thighs

I’m 6ft, and fly on a lot of planes. Of course there isn’t much room, and I’m not an apologist for airlines, but I don’t recall my knees being ‘scrunched up’ into the seat in front, or seeing many other tall folk scrunched up.

In economy you don’t see many tall people ‘scrunched up’?

I must be imagining it then.

You may be 6ft and have short legs and a longer torso, just because you fit in a cheap seat doesn’t mean others who are 6ft+ will.

No offence to anyone but if I’ve paid for my seat then I do recline it

Me to.I don't care if big fat Gemma is behind me or not.

On an economy flight years ago to Florida I reclined my seat and I could hear the not very slender lady behind me complaining to her travelling companion, this then led to her hitting the button to summon a member of the cabin crew, "i'm not comfortable because the man in front has reclined his seat,get him to put it upright!" for her only to be told by the cabin crew...." sorry madam,the gentleman has paid for his seat which reclines and is entitled to do so."

We get trouble on flights all the time from people reclining seats into others. Even long haul Airlines are now looking at economy seats that don’t recline because of all the trouble it causes. I’ve had the police meet the flight a few times because of altercations that have broken out over seats reclining.

As we can see from this thread there’s a range of views over what’s acceptable. The crew can’t stop people reclining seats but most can’t wait until the recline buttons are removed in economy.

I think a gentle recline is fair enough to add to the comfort, or full if asking the person behind.

One occasion the lady next to me had her laptop screen cracked by someone launching the seat back. Other time it was my forearm that prevented my son having a head injury by someone doing the same (he was 18months so lovely 9hour flight on my lap)

I’m 6.2 and my knees are up against the seat in economy. Short haul i live with it. Long haul i have paid for extra legroom for the whole family or in the case of my long haul to oz an extra 4k to pay for us all to use premium economy which was only slightly better - but better nonetheless.